Freddie loved opera and his favorite opera singer was the Spanish opera soprano Montserrat Caballe (pronounced Mont·ser·rat Ca·ba·llé). He felt her voice was the best in the world. Freddie told his manager he would love to record a song with her. It turned out that Montsy (as Freddie called her) was a big Queen fan and loved Freddie's singing. Her brother was in charge of the entertainment for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. She suggested to him that they get Freddie Mercury to write and perform a song. A meeting was arranged between Freddie and Montserrat in early 1987. It was reported that Freddie was so nervous about the meeting that he not only paced but chain-smoked in his hotel room for an hour before. He actually arrived at the location for the meeting 5 minutes early (Freddie was notorious for being at least 15 minutes late to all meetings). Two minutes after the proposed time when Monserrat had not yet arrived, Freddie, with an almost tearful-sounding voice, declared that she wasn't coming. It was then the crowd in the lobby where they arranged to meet, parted and Montserrat drifted toward Freddie. They greeted each other warmly and Freddie, who had planned to invite her to dine with him where they could talk forgot what he had planned. Instead, he simply stretched out his hand, as a child would. and presented her with a tape as he said, "I wrote and recorded this for you". The tape was a recording of Freddie vocalizing to music, titled "Exercises in Free Love" - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-l8n52i_dWrg.html. When Montserrat heard it, she loved the song and asked if she could perform it at her concert that following weekend at Covent Garden. Freddie told yes, the song was hers to do with as she wanted. Montserrat was so enamored with the song,, that she wrote lyrics to it and retitled it "Ensueno". She and Freddie recorded Ensueno for the album Barcelona. Montserrat convinced Freddie to sing his part in his natural baritone voice, something he usually refused to do since he believed his fans wouldn't recognize him. Ensueno - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DOySL4GYaDY.html They connected at lunch like old friends. Freddie had expected her to be very dignified and formal but it turned out she was very down-to-earth with a saucy sense of humor. Immediately they were comfortable with each other. When Freddie suggested that they record a song together, Montsy was elated but went a step further and suggested that they do an album together. Freddie said his immediate reaction was a panicked "Yes" and "f**k, I have to start writing some songs NOW"." When they finished recording the song "Barcelona" (FYI - the album was also titled Barcelona), Montserrat excitedly share her dream of them singing this song live at the opening ceremony. Freddie had to sadly inform her, that he wouldn't be around to perform for the Olympics. This was 1988 and he knew that he would not be alive for the 1992 Olympics (Freddie passed away on November 24, 1991). That is why this video was created to play at the opening ceremony.
These two absolutely adored one another. This song is about the first time they met and is from their collab album. She was also the first person that he told about his diagnosis.
Freddie was so much more than a rock singer, he and his friend Mike Moran composed a whole duet album for Freddie and Montserrat with beautiful melodies. Barcelona was the first crossover between a rock singer and an opera diva in the musical history.
Two divas on stage (and thats a compliment) this was such a magical vocal performance and to think Freddie was only months removed from his unfortunate death. You can basically tell the timeline by the absence of his iconic moustache. he only shaved it off near the end of his life.
BTW, there were also two other songs from the Barcelona album performed live: “HOW CAN I GO ON” (Which is LOVELY) And… “THE GOLDEN BOY” (My FAV! It’s part OPERA, part GOSPEL!)
He'd just gotten his diagnosis, but yeah, he was sick. As these things go, he was in great shape. Montserrat was his favorite singer, and he wrote this specifically for her; she was born in Barcelona, Spain.
With my "rock is not music" father it was the other way around. As an opera fan, he naturally recognized the female voice immediately, but the great (his words) male voice was completely unknown to him. Even when he read Freddie Mercury, as a singer and composer, on the label, he couldn't do anything with it. It was only after I had clarified that he became a big Freddie Mercury fan, not necessarily a rock fan, but he didn't let anything come to him about Freddie Mercury.
The most AMAZING songs from the Barcelona album: “EXERCISES IN FREE LOVE” ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZJ7CcexWnD4.html (A Demo vocal exercise where Freddie sings Montserrat’s SOPRANO part… Reactors often mistakenly think it’s Montserrat singing.) And… “ENSUENO” ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UGSx4sBrlQQ.html (The same song finalized… A duet where Fred sings OPERATIC BARITONE, which Montserrat taught him how to do.)
A little background research would've made the commentary more substantial...especially about why Freddie Mercury absolutely adored the legendary Montserrat Caballe.
It's a classic piece. This song was originally goign to be used for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, but Freddie passed before he could perform it at the opening ceremony. So sadly this song was replaced with another for the event.
This song was made by Freddy to be the anthem of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. It was recorded well in advance because Freddy was already very ill. He died in November 1991, 9 months before the Olympic Games.
This is a link to Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe. She is a well-known Italian opera singer. Freddie was a long time fan of Opera. In particular he felt Montserrat had the best singing voice of any opera star. She was from Barcelona. The song had to be completed by 1988 to be considered for the opening ceremonies of the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics. Freddie told her 2 two years prior to his death that he would not be there to sing it with her because he had AIDS. From what I have pieced together she was the first person that he told even though his bandmates were seeing symptoms in him. The gentleman conducting the orchestra is Mike Moran, who co-wrote the song with Freddie, and not Brian May ( you my be reacting to a different performance of Barcelona) have a different clip than the one most people react to. Not that that matters they're both awesome in and of themselves. But in the other one the conductor does look like Brian May because of the hairstyle and it's at night). So it could be the same gentleman conducting the orchestra but during the day you can tell it's not Brian May.. People get confused because they have similar hair styles. After Freddie had passed other singers contacted her to see if they would collaborate with her. She said that that was something special between her and Freddie and she was not ever going to repeat it . There are several videos on RU-vid of interviews with her talking about Freddie and their collaboration. There's also a video of how they originally hooked up I just don't remember the name of it. The song is actually about him meeting her for the first time. This is the link to Barcelona ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y1fiOJDXA-E.html This is the link to their performance of Golden Boy. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OPizyP4x30I.html This is the link to their performance of how can I go on. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ksNoe8W2jTc.html You mentioned having to mess singers with Opera. I don't know if you reacted to it but Boston Brown and Rod Lundqvist has a video you have reacted to to country singers try to sing opera. The video is titled to country singers try to sing opera. It is Rod Lundquist and Austin Brown from home free Austin Brown and Rod Lundquist from home free. They sing Nessun Dorma. If you haven't done it yet I highly recommend it This is the link ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5dBENngNDhs.html
After watching this I always wonder what could have happened down the track if he’d collaborated with someone like Andrew Lloyd Webber on a musical. I wonder how Freddie would have been as the Phantom for instance. 🤔
Unfortunately, Freddie was very unwell at that time. As a queen fan always I can't believe he missed the medication by a couple of years. Then we'd all still have Fred.
Era la canción oficial de las Olimpiadas del 92. Grabó un álbum con Monserrat porque era para el un sueño. Puedes ver un documental sobre como se conocieron y la admiración mutua que se tuvieron.
